Biopics are a Hollywood staple. And since Hollywood is the center of American entertainment, most biopics are centered on real-life Americans. Much is at stake when filmmakers set out to create a movie based on a true story, and casting the right actor for a role is crucial. As it turns out, the perfect actor to portray a real-life American is sometimes … a foreigner.
To compile a list of foreigners who have been praised for playing real Americans, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the IMDb profiles of nearly 50 actors who have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Only actors who were born outside the United States and have won or have been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe for portraying real-life Americans were selected.
All but one of the actors on the list were born in countries where English is either the official language or commonly spoken. But that doesn’t mean playing Americans is easy. Actors often have to work hard to perfect their American accent. Oftentimes, they have vocal coaches on set to train them how to speak in whatever regional variation they need for the role.
When filmmakers say a movie is based on true events, they often mean that moviegoers are going to see a story based on a real event and not a documentary. But they could also mean that not all facts are accurate, and that – in addition to casting mistakes and script mishaps — sometimes results in a spectacularly bad movie. These are the 50 worst movies based on true events.
Click here to see foreigners who were famously praised for playing real-life Americans
Source: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images
Christopher Plummer
> Country of origin: Canada
> Americans Christopher Plummer portrayed: Billionaire J. Paul Getty for “All the Money in the World” and criminal attorney F. Lee Bailey for “American Tragedy”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “All the Money in the World”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “American Tragedy”
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Source: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images
Cate Blanchett
> Country of origin: Australia
> Americans Cate Blanchett portrayed: Actress Katharine Hepburn for “The Aviator,” musician Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” and conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly
> Oscar recognition: Won best supporting actress for “The Aviator”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best supporting actress for “The Aviator,” nominated for best actress in a mini series for “Mrs. America” and won for best supporting actress for “I’m Not There”
Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images
Christian Bale
> Country of origin: Wales
> Americans Christian Bale portrayed: Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in “Vice” and investor Michael Burry in “The Big Short”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated in the best actor for “Vice” and nominated for best supporting actor for “The Big Short”
> Golden Globes recognition: Won best actor for “Vice” and was nominated for best actor for “The Big Short”
Source: Vivien Killilea / Getty Images
Margot Robbie
> Country of origin: Australia
> American Margot Robbie portrayed: Ice skater Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actress for “I, Tonya”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actress for “I, Tonya”
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Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Russell Crowe
> Country of origin: New Zealand
> Americans Russell Crowe portrayed: Mathematician John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind,” biochemist Jeffrey Wigand in “The Insider,” and boxer James J. Braddock in “Cinderella Man”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “A Beautiful Mind” and nominated for best actor for “The Insider”
> Golden Globes recognition: Won best actor for “The Insider, ” nominated for best actor for “The Insider,” and nominated for best actor for “Cinderella Man”
Source: Amy Sussman / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Cynthia Erivo
> Country of origin: England
> American Cynthia Erivo portrayed: Freed slave Harriet Tubman in “Harriet”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actress for “Harriet”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actress for “Harriet”
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Source: Timothy Hiatt / Getty Images
Anthony Hopkins
> Country of origin: Wales
> American Anthony Hopkins portrayed: Former U.S. President Richard Nixon in “Nixon”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Nixon”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Nixon”
Source: Phillip Faraone / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Charlize Theron
> Country of origin: South Africa
> Americans Charlize Theron portrayed: Journalist Megyn Kelly in “Bombshell” and serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actress for “Bombshell,” won for best actress for “Monster”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actress for “Bombshell,” won for best actress for “Monster”
Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images
Daniel Day-Lewis
> Country of origin: England
> Americans Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed: Crime boss Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting in “Gangs of New York” and former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Gangs of New York, won for best actor for “Lincoln”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Lincoln,” won for best actor for “Lincoln”
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Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Rachel McAdams
> Country of origin: Canada
> American Rachel McAdams portrayed: Journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in “Spotlight”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actress for “Spotlight”
> Golden Globes recognition: None (yet)
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Ben Kingsley
> Country of origin: England
> American Ben Kingsley portrayed: “Mob’s Accountant” Meyer Lansky in “Bugsy” and cardiologist Herman Tarnower in “Mrs. Harris”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “Bugsy”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “Mrs. Harris” and nominated for best actor in TV movie for “Mrs. Harris”
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Source: C Flanigan / Getty Images
Kate Winslet
> Country of origin: England
> American Kate Winslet portrayed: Marketing executive Joanna Hoffman for “Steve Jobs”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actress for “Steve Jobs”
> Golden Globes recognition: Won for best supporting actress for “Steve Jobs”
Source: Rich Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Chiwetel Ejiofor
> Country of origin: England
> American Chiwetel Ejiofor portrayed: Abolitionist Solomon Northup in “12 Years a Slave”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “12 Years a Slave”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “12 Years a Slave”
Source: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
Liam Neeson
> Country of origin: Northern Ireland
> American Liam Neeson portrayed: Biologist Alfred Kinsey in “Kinsey”
> Oscar recognition: Not for portraying Americans
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Kinsey”
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Daniel Kaluuya
> Country of origin: England
> American Daniel Kaluuya portrayed: Activist Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah”
> Oscar recognition: Won best supporting actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah”
> Golden Globes recognition: Won for best actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Gary Oldman
> Country of origin: England
> American Gary Oldman portrayed: Writer Herman Mankiewicz in “Mank”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Mank”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Mank”
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Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Sacha Baron Cohen
> Country of origin: England
> American Sacha Baron Cohen portrayed: Activist Abbie Hoffman in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Source: Phillip Faraone / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Richard E. Grant
> Country of origin: Eswatini
> American Richard E. Grant portrayed: Forger Jack Hock in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Source: John Phillips / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Michael Fassbender
> Country of origin: Germany and Ireland
> American Michael Fassbender portrayed: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in “Steve Jobs” and slaveowner Edwin Epps in “12 Years a Slave”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Steve Job” and nominated for best supporting actor for “12 Years a Slave”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Steve Jobs” and nominated for best supporting actor for “12 Years a Slave”
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Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Tom Hardy
> Country of origin: England
> American Tom Hardy portrayed: Fur trapper John Fitzgerald for “The Revenant”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best supporting actor for “The Revenant”
> Golden Globes recognition: Not for portraying Americans
Source: John Phillips / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Andrew Garfield
> Country of origin: Born in L.A., raised in London
> American Andrew Garfield portrayed: Combat medic Desmond Doss in “Hacksaw Ridge”
> Oscar recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Hacksaw Ridge”
> Golden Globes recognition: Nominated for best actor for “Hacksaw Ridge”
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